Life Restored
by Konoha no Uchiha Sakura
Summary: After ten years...he returns. His homecoming isn't what he imagined, however, and his cheerful cherry blossom is as cold as ice. Will she learn to trust again? Will the Avenger learn to love? His new mission has begun. SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

Yay new story! :) This has been swimming around in my brain for a couple of years now, so I'm excited to be able to share it with you lovelies!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, because if I did, there'd be more happy endings.

* * *

It was already past midnight when a lone dark figure approached the village walls. Past the time that any normal person would be safely tucked up in their beds, sound asleep. But the ANBU ninjas keeping safe watch were wide awake, waiting for the slightest change in their normal nightly routine, keeping the hidden village of Konoha safe.

It was no shock, however, when the lone cloaked stranger approached the city, a large group of ANBU ninjas surrounded them instantly.

"Heh, I always knew you'd come back." One of them said from behind a sinister looking fox mask. His tone was light, as if this were a normal conversation with an old friend, instead of a hunted S-class ninja. In an even quieter voice he added, "She's been waiting for you, you know."

The cloaked stranger smirked. The moonlight's rays illuminated his features, making him easily identifiable. He'd changed in the years he'd been gone. He carried himself with an air of dignity, despite his status in the village. His hair hadn't changed much, a bit longer in the back, but nothing else different. His gaze was haggard, having witnessed and partaken in far too many battles for someone of his age. His form was lean, masking the powerful muscles hidden beneath his clothing. There was an abnormal sized bulge beneath the side of his cloak, but he gave no mention of it.

"I presume this means you surrender?" Another ANBU asked, crossing his arms over his chest confidently. Lavender icy eyes could be seen through his mask, one that resembled that of an owl. Older, wiser and with just enough of a sneer.

Dangerous eyes narrowed sharply on the lavender eyed man, but his face soon fell into a confident smirk. "If that's the way you want to look at it, _Hyuuga_. I need to see the Hokage." The young man answered.

Naruto smiled. "Hell yeah! Let's go wake the old hag up!"

The rest of ANBU escorted the cloaked figure into the village.

Hokage tower was all a buzz when they arrived. Tsunade had passed out on her desk, as per normal, with a half-empty bottle of sake beside her. Naruto glared, sending Neji a questioning glance. The Hyuuga merely held up his hands and gave his shoulders a slight shrug before taking a step back. The "captured" shinobi was staring curiously at the unconscious form slumped over on the desk.

Naruto took that as an answer and then slammed his hand down hard onto the desk.

"OI! BAA-CHAN! WAKE UP!"

Tsunade jerked upright, a document pasted to her cheek with a small train of drool that had escaped in her sleep. It slipped away from her face, fluttering silently to the floor.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT BOY?" She shouted, blinking sleep and confusion from her eyes. Her groggy almond gaze came to rest on the lone newcomer standing in her office.

"Who the hell is this? Naruto? What is your explanation for this?"

"Perhaps I should come back, when she is actually sober?" Questioned the cloaked figure. He turned his back slightly to depart.

"But S—!" Naruto began in protest.

"Naruto." The Neji interrupted sharply.

Tsunade glared hard and chucked her half-empty sake bottle at the cloaked stranger. "I'm as sober as I've ever been, _boy_. Who are you and why are you here?"

He dodged the projectile easily, watching with detached amusement as the bottle collided with the wall beside the door, shattering into many pieces and drenching the wood with the strong intoxicating substance.

Just then, the door to Tsunade's office banged open.

Everyone save for the stranger jumped. There, in the doorway stood a fuming kunoichi. Even at the late hour, with her hair mused, dark circles evident under her eyes, she had a violent air of malevolence about her.

"With all due respect, _sensei_, if you ever assign me another mission like that again, I will make it a _personal_ vendetta of mine to make your life a living hell." She vowed, glaring hard at her sensei for a moment, before taking in the Hokage's current condition.

She sighed heavily after a long moment of scrutiny, the anger in her washed out with the weight of the sigh. "Of course you pick the perfect time to be completely intoxicated."

Naruto grinned and spoke for the first time since her entrance.

"She's always like this after a stressful day, Sakura-chan. You should know that by now."

The pink haired kunoichi rolled her eyes in annoyance. Instead of adding a snarky comment, she lightly placed a scroll down beside her sensei's hand. "I'll be back in the morning to discuss the mission specifics." Her eyes lingered on the broken sake bottle lying on the floor, to the feet of the one standing in front of the desk.

Without a backward glance, she moved swiftly away from the desk, towards the exit. She felt eyes drilling into her back and she twirled fast, drawing a kunai and firing it in his direction.

"Who is this, Naruto?" She murmured, her eyes narrowed on the figure as if she were seeing him for the very first time.

He had been masking his chakra, which explained why she hadn't sensed him. But now that her fiery emerald eyes were on him he felt the growing desire to unmask himself. He watched her gait as she turned to go, noting the slight limp in her step and the rigid tenseness of her posture.

She was injured.

Without any response from neither he nor Naruto, Sakura brushed by him then; unnecessarily vehemently slamming the door shut to Tsunade's office. He had the strangest feeling to go after her, but he had something to take care of first. He _would_ find her later, he told himself.

All eyes returned immediately to the stranger standing in front of Tsunade's desk.

The right hand of the figure disappeared into his cloak, drawing out the bulky object from beneath the folds of fabric. He lifted it above the ledge of the desk, only to thump it down rather sharply onto the wood. It landed with a sickening thud.

Tsunade was now glaring at a rather bloody burlap sack. The one who had drawn it, reached over to yank the loose string off. The burlap bag sagged open, revealing a severed head.

Tsunade's almond eyes narrowed. Even in her slightly intoxicated condition she still was conveniently and coherently aware of what it was that sat now leaking old blood onto her desk. She lifted an eyebrow, as if to question the one presenting this…token before her.

"What is this…" she began in a wary tone.

The cloaked figure smirked as he reached up, pulling the hood of his cowl away and revealing the haggard but triumphant face of Uchiha Sasuke.

"I seek amnesty, Hokage-sama."

Jaws dropped on the Konoha side.

* * *

Sakura stood fuming on the other side of the door. There was something…off about the cloaked stranger that had been standing in her sensei's office when she had arrived. Her usually in-tune instincts weren't picking up anything out of the ordinary, however. But there was something different. She could feel it in the way her booted feet seemed to be incapable of moving. She was literally rooted to the spot as her sharp ears listened hard for anything.

"You _WHAT?!"_

The loud shriek had Sakura clamping her hands over her ears, a pained expression covering her face momentarily until the door opened and Neji calmly closed it behind him. Ever careful of his surroundings, the elder Hyuuga was surprised to find her standing just outside the Hokage's office still.

"My apologies, Haruno-san." His polite tone was low.

Sakura shook her head, with wind slapping her pink tresses gently in the face. "It's fine. What's going on?"

Neji smiled tightly. "I thought you were intent on getting out of there quickly." He lightly joked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "The next time Tsunade-sama assigns me another assassination mission surrounded a drunken cartel of drug lords where I'm to seduce every single one of them…" Her voice trailed off as she caught herself ranting.

Her cheeks reddening, she shook her head and dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry. You were saying?" She asked hopefully.

Neji sighed.

"It would be pointless for me not to tell you. I'm certain that you're going to find out sooner rather than later, but—"

"HYUUGA!"

Sakura was nearly bowled over as Naruto came storming out of the Hokage's office.

"Uzumaki." Neji answered.

"Did you see where Sakura-cha…?" His voice trailed off as Neji pointed to the slight figure crouching on the thin railing.

"You knocked me over, you stupid dolt." Sakura muttered, hopping down and engulfing Naruto into a good natured hug.

"Sakura-chan!" He squeezed her tight. "You'll never guess who's back!"

Neji sighed, and as her eyes shot to him, a pit dropped open in the bottom of her stomach.

At her silence, Naruto's broad grin disappeared. What replaced it was something she rarely ever saw.

Remorse filled his eyes as he gently let her go. "I'm just sorry it took me nearly ten years to bring his sorry ass back to you."

Sakura swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat. "Naruto…I…" Emotion was fast becoming difficult for her to handle, and so before she made a complete fool of herself, Sakura turned abruptly and disappeared.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Neji clamped a hand tightly over Naruto's arm as the blonde shinobi turned to go after her.

"Get off of me, Hyuuga." Naruto growled.

"Shut up and think for a minute, Uzumaki. She's waited all this time for him to return. She just said she'd returned from a difficult mission, only to have an age-old wound torn open all over again. Can you not imagine what she must be going through right now?"

Naruto pulled Neji's hand free. "Why do you think I want to go after her?"

"If I disappeared for ten years, Tenten would kill me." Neji said plainly.

Naruto blinked.

"She needs space right now. Give her that, and I'm positive she'll be the light hearted girl we both know tomorrow."

Naruto frowned. He didn't like it, but he would respect Sakura's wishes.

Sometimes…he wished he hadn't grown up so much.

* * *

The moon still shone high in the sky, the night still peaceful and uninterrupted, save for the dull pounding sounds deep in the forest.

Blow after blow, knuckles had split and blood seeped through into the splintering wood.

The old scar on her left arm stung greatly with each pounding blow. She didn't use chakra, knowing she would demolish the tree, and that would defeat her sole purpose for pounding the shit out of it.

Anger poured through her, saturating every cell in her body. _Stupid—son—of a—_

She froze, realizing for the first time what that nagging feeling at the back of her mind had been.

Her right arm was trapped in a restraining hold, keeping it from delivering its next blow to the tree. Her left hand was cradled in someone else's.

"Stop."

Sakura jerked.

"This will not help you."

"Let go of me." She growled softly. "You know nothing."

The hold on her tightened, and she felt him step closer to her; her back pressed against a warm chest.

"I know that beating yourself up will not help you." She felt her body slowly fall back against him as he pulled.

An arm twined around her waist.

"I know that starving yourself out of anger and self-loathing won't change anything either."

Her body trembled in anger.

The muscles in her arms twitched with eagerness for a fight.

"And…" His words whispered next to her ear. "I know that fighting the sadness and defeat will only destroy you faster."

Emotion shot through her and had he not effectively pinned her arms already, she would have shown him just how quickly she could destroy. "G-Get off of me. You have some nerve—" She croaked her voice breaking. Cursed tears had worked their way up to her eyes. She squeezed them shut to keep them in.

"Sakura." His arm around her waist tightened the hold. "Go home."

She shook her head stubbornly and growled, "Go to Hell."

Pulling herself forward, she struggled against his firm grip. Her body screamed at her for her to stop, but she refused to acquiesce. Blood dripped from the bone deep open slash in her thigh, and her muscles trembled from fatigue.

"Kuso..." She whispered, as she felt her legs give out from underneath her.

Her mind closed off the sensation she felt next. No warmth flooded her cheeks as she felt Sasuke catch her and lift her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

"Hn."

Turning her head from him, she felt her body go rigid. "Put me down. I'm fine."

His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. He disappeared into the trees, leaping as fast as he could through the forest back to the village.

He landed outside one of the apartment complexes on the outskirts of the village. Sakura, ever tense in his arms, felt her stomach tighten as he took off again, leaping up onto the rooftops until he reached the balcony of one of the top floor units. She resisted the urge to bury her face in his shoulder, fearing what was going to happen to her now. Thank Kami she wasn't shaking, however. She'd rather be caught dead than show any sign of such pathetic weakness in front of him.

"Put me down Uchiha. You don't need to do this." Her voice held just the slightest hint of hysteria.

"The hell I don't."

Sakura stayed quiet as Sasuke carried her inside. He passed a few doors in the hallway after he'd entered the apartment, and stopped outside one of them. He slid the door open, revealing a relatively empty room with a window on the far side. A neatly folded up sleep palate lay on the floor parallel to the window.

Sasuke moved deftly into the room, keeping the lights off and setting her down only long enough to shake out the bedding and lay it out for her. "Stay here." He murmured softly before he disappeared.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She listened hard for any footsteps before she crept to the window. She eyed the distance between the balcony and the ground. It wasn't all that far…

"Try anything and I'll hear it." His voice was right next to her.

She jumped, barely stifling her yelp of surprise. His arms closed around her again and her feet left the floor.

She didn't protest until he had set her gently down in the bathroom next to the bedroom and drawn a kunai.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" She nearly shrieked.

He smirked. "I can't take care of that wound unless the fabric is removed. Stop moving."

Sakura tried rolling away from him, but he was fast. He gently but firmly restrained her.

"Look, I'm a medical ninja, Uchiha. I _can_ take care of myself."

"And yet you don't." He countered, anger seeping into his eyes and voice. "Stop fighting me."

"No! You have no right to do what you're doing!"

"I do."

Sakura shot him a glare. "Bullshit."

" '_Those who don't follow the rules are trash,'_ " Sasuke murmured, his voice low in her ear.

Sakura's eyes widened. "No, stop it! Stop it now!"

" '_But those who don't take care of their friends are worse than trash.'_ "

Sakura ceased her struggles. Tears leaked out from under her closed eyelids.

"Bastard." She whispered softly.

The kunai sliced through her dark pants, cutting them halfway up her thigh to reveal the nasty injury. She didn't move as Sasuke gently removed the fabric from the bloody and swollen torn skin.

He cleaned the blood and dirt away, using a few squares of gauze to dab antiseptic over the open gash. Sakura hissed through her teeth as the stuff stung the serrated edges of skin.

"What did this?" He murmured softly, distracting her temporarily from the pain. He knew by design how it must have happened as well as the cause. But Sakura was on edge enough as it was, and to keep her talking would be best.

"A katana." She said through gritted teeth. "I wasn't fast enough."

She felt a warming sensation next, and looked down in shock to see Sasuke's hand glowing with soft, green chakra.

The wound slowly began stitching closed. Sasuke repeated the actions, carefully cleaning and healing a little each time, until the pain was mostly gone, and hardly anything remained but a thin layer of raw skin.

She would have finished the job in the exact time he had. Where had he learned how to reattach muscle tissues and ligaments that way? Simple epidermal cells were easy enough to replicate, but the skill level he had shown was incredible.

He pulled out a roll of bandages and carefully wrapped her thigh. She ignored the light caresses his fingers made on her skin. But she couldn't help the shiver that escaped as she watched him.

He was very meticulous, Sakura decided. He quickly disposed of the used cotton balls and gauze before coming back to her side. He took her shoulders in his hands and easily lifted her up to lean back against the wall.

"Let me see your hands."

Sakura averted her eyes with a shake of her head.

"Sakura, let me see them." His voice was patient, but held just a hint of warning.

She sniffed in discontent. "I can do it."

With a frustrated grunt, Sasuke yanked the armguard from his left arm. He bit through his right thumb and smeared the blood across the summoning tattoo. _"Kuchiyose no jutsu,"_ he said quietly.

Four small snakes appeared.

Sakura had frozen in shock.

"Keep her still." He muttered.

The snakes immediately wrapped around her arms, neck and one around her waist, restraining any further movement from her.

"K-Kuso..." She choked out.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she gasped as the snake around her waist slithered up her torso, tightening its grip and squeezing the air from her lungs.

Sasuke growled softly, but lightly stroked the top of the snake's head and down its spine. "Lighter. I said keep her still, not suffocate her."

Immediately the burning sensation in her lungs dissipated as the snake loosened its hold. Fresh air filled her lungs and she tried not to breathe it in too deeply. Any sign of terror would be perceived as weakness, and though she still didn't understand why he was here, she was a smart kunoichi, and not about to gamble with her life.

Sasuke gently took one of her hands in his. With a steady hand and a pair of tweezers, he carefully removed the splinters of wood from her bloody knuckles. Once he'd done the same to the other hand, he cleaned the cuts and bandaged them.

"Enough." He murmured. The snakes disappeared.

Sakura slumped to the floor, shaking. Her carefully constructed control had shattered, splintering and breaking into pieces as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

Sasuke gently lifted her up and sat her in his lap, his right arm gently wrapped around her. Her horrified emerald eyes never deviated from his left arm.

"You need to eat something." He said quietly.

Sakura found her nerve again and tried to push herself away from him. "S-So? If I don't you'll strangle me again?"

"No."

She couldn't stop trembling. He was different than before. Still an icy bastard, still cocky. But underneath all of that he was dangerous. Powerful and deadly. She'd been a fool to allow herself to be out in the open like that tonight. She'd never sensed his presence until it was too late.

She pushed herself away from him, crawling backwards on her hands and feet towards the door. "Why are you here?" She whispered finally, her terrified gaze never leaving him for a second.

He was by her side in an instant. Though his hands were empty of any weapon, she still cringed away. "G-Get away from m-me!" She stammered, shutting her eyes and ducking her head. He scooped her up easily and held her with care.

Two fingers curled around her chin and gently guided her head back toward him.

"Sakura, look at me."

Her breath started coming faster, fear pulsating through her veins. Her emerald eyes opened, tears spilling out onto her cheeks as they lifted to meet bright crimson.

She flinched back instinctively. "N-No!"

"Just rest." He whispered softly to her.

She felt her eyelids droop, and her head fell back in his grip. She would have fallen if the arm supporting her back hadn't been there.

He stood with her cradled in his arms and carried her from the bathroom back to the bedroom. The night had started to fade into early morning. The birds were fluttering about in the trees nearby, not quite chirping, but signaling that dawn was nearing.

Sasuke laid her down on the sleep palate, pulling the top cover off and tucking her in. He gently brushed her hair from her face before he backed away.

He sat down on the floor next to the window and watched over her as she slept.

* * *

When she opened her eyes some hours later, it took her a moment to distinguish her surroundings. She was in a strange room she had never been in before. The morning sun rays poured through the window, illuminating her face and making her squint as she came fully awake. There was a dark figure sitting near the window, she saw. The only recognizable feature about him was the spiky hair poking up from the back of his head. She'd have to be a complete moron to displace that hair on someone else.

Then, as if a wave had crashed into her, the events of the night before came flooding back.

Sakura was up and pushing herself against the opposite wall in an instant. Her emerald orbs narrowed on his passive face. He was watching her closely.

Slowly, she stood up, wincing slightly at the lick of pain that shot up her left leg.

"There are fresh clothes waiting for you in the bathroom." He said in a low voice, standing and walking towards the door, staying in the shadows.

Sakura said nothing, but continued to watch him warily.

"I'll wait for you downstairs. Come down when you're finished."

With that, he disappeared through the doorway, quietly sliding the door shut behind him. Sakura stood there, dumbfounded as she leaned against the wall for support. Where the hell had all her nerve gone?

Oh. Right.

She shook her head sharply as she walked on unsteady legs to the bathroom. Cranking on the faucet, the water sprayed out from the showerhead. She adjusted the dial before pulling her hand out. She'd give the water a minute to warm up. And she needed a damn minute to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

Her eyes scanned the bathroom, noting the simple signs of occupancy. Sasuke had been back in Konoha for all of a day or so, and he'd found himself a place to live. Which meant that Tsunade-sama had plans for him. So he wouldn't dare harm her…right? Her hands clenched tightly on the countertop, the bandages tightening over her sore knuckles. The memory of his old summons appearing before her eyes in a non-combatant setting still freaked her out. He'd been utterly indifferent to summoning them too, as if he'd merely needed them to be tools…

She was going to see the Hokage.

With her mind made up, Sakura worried her lower lip between her teeth as she assessed herself physically. Plans or not, Tsunade-sama had no idea that she was here. If Sakura were to show up in her sensei's office looking more bedraggled than she had the night before, the Hokage would become suspicious. And the very last thing Sakura needed on her plate right now was a target painted on her back for Sasuke to utilize. Shivering a little, she glared at her reflection as steam filled the bathroom.

Carefully stripping her ruined pants off, her vest and black top followed, and then her underwear hit the ground as well. She slowly unwound the bindings she'd wrapped around her chest.

Her skin was colored by bruises, ones she'd proudly earned on her latest mission. She would give them time to heal on their own, as she did for most of her injuries. Pain was a useful training tool.

Not to mention…after her latest mission, the bruises she wore to scrub off the memories were therapeutic as well.

The bandages around her knuckles would also have to go, she decided. She couldn't properly cleanse herself with those hindering her. She tugged one side of the bandage free with her teeth, pulling it off completely instead of unwinding it. The pain wasn't too bad, once she'd yanked off the bandages. Her gaze studied the angry, red, swollen skin of her knuckles before she gathered green healing chakra to her hands. The skin closed up quickly, stitching itself together as she repaired the damaged tissue, nerve and epidermal cells.

Steam rose from the top of the shower as she finished. Partially satisfied, she climbed in, groaning with relief as the hot spray hit her sore muscles. She tipped her head back, allowing the hot water to saturate her pink tresses and massage her scalp.

She cleaned up, rubbing shampoo into a lather in her hair. It felt good to scrub the filth of the last mission off of her, and the soft washcloth was gentle against her skin.

She rinsed herself completely, standing underneath the hot spray again, this time turning around so that it hit her face.

When she emerged, Sakura found a fluffy white towel resting on a towel rack beside the shower. She marveled in its softness as she carefully patted herself dry. Her skin was still tender, but that did not stop her. The bandages around her leg were soaked, so she stripped them off as well. The wound from before was hardly visible now.

Being an apprentice to the world's greatest medical kunoichi had its advantages.

_Yay for self-healing chakra,_ she thought silently.

She found the clothes Sasuke had mentioned. They were resting on the counter, folded neatly. Everything was black. _Surprise, surprise._

She eyed the shirt, debating whether or not to put it on. She grabbed the black pants and yanked them on, tying the drawstring tightly around her hips so the baggy pants would not fall off of her.

Deciding to forgo the shirt he had provided, Sakura swooped up her gray vest from the floor and pulled it on over her head. She wouldn't be here much longer. She toweled her hair dry, running her fingers through the long tresses that reached just inches past her shoulders, and quickly twisted it into a braid to keep it off of her face.

Grabbing her sandals from the floor, Sakura wandered out of the bathroom, debating on what to do. Sasuke said that he would wait for her downstairs, although she couldn't really believe that. Her best chance for getting out of here in one piece would be to go out through the window in the bedroom where she'd slept. She gave herself a moment to prepare, as she sat on the sleep palate and fastened on her black heeled sandals.

Her light footsteps made no sound as she snuck to the edge of the room. No sooner than she pulled the window open, did she feel a heavy arm wrap around her waist.

Sakura froze.

Her body went rigid. Her heartbeat sped up.

"I thought I said to come downstairs." He murmured huskily in her ear.

Sakura didn't move. "I need to report to Tsunade-sama, Uchiha." She said coldly. "You cannot hold me here against my will."

He smirked. "I remember when there was a time when I wouldn't have had to."

Sakura growled as she spun herself around, throwing a punch at his jaw.

Of course he caught her, gently catching her newly healed fist and tipping her off balance so he could pin her down on the floor. Sakura glared up at him, her fear masked carefully with anger. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to pull air into her lungs.

"That isn't funny, Uchiha! That stupid little girl you knew is long gone. Now let…_go_…of me!" She panted, struggling hard in his grip.

Sasuke shocked her when his free hand came up to cup her jaw. His thumb lightly caressed her lower lip. "That tongue of yours is a sharp one, Sakura." He murmured softly, his eyes narrowed.

"For good reason," She countered. "I use it to keep assholes like you away from me."

With a burst of strength, she used her legs and shoved him off of her. She pushed herself backwards on her hands and flipped back, landing several feet away from him. Her hands formed a fast seal and she disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Sasuke smirked. That had been far too easy. Sakura was still affected by him, no matter what she tried to pretend. Her walls might be powerful and strong, but he was going to have no trouble at all tearing them down.

She may have thought she'd escaped him, but he knew exactly how to track her down. He wasn't going to let her go so easily this time.

He _would _find her again.

* * *

Her breath was short as she appeared inside her office at the hospital. It took her several moments to recover from the shock, and she thrust out a hand against the wall to support her weight, her knees all but threatening to give out on her.

As soon as the shock wore off, the anger came, replacing it with a searing wave of fury.

How DARE he!

_How DARE he?!_

Sakura's fist clenched and she slammed it into the cinderblock wall beside her, punching through it easily and leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

"KUSO!"

Just as quickly as it came, the anger subsided and the fear came back again as her calculating mind kicked back into gear.

Uchiha Sasuke was different. Unpredictable. Dangerous. The very notion that she hadn't been able to read any of his moves sent chills down her spine. Gone were any sort of familiarity that she may have once known about him, even the famed Uchiha bloodline limit, his Sharingan, was different.

She hadn't known him to be able to render someone unconscious before, but now…? Her instincts flared for a moment and her sharp eyes shot to the window.

Had she locked it?

She jumped when she heard a light thump on the rooftop, and her fingers were quick as she sealed the window shut and threw the curtain into place.

The last thing she needed right now was another confrontation with him. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to Tsunade how the gaping hole in the wall had gotten there either.

What she _needed_ right now was a strong mug of tea and a hot bath…and a hell of a lot of alone time.

Just then, the door to her office burst open, and a not-so-cheerful Hokage appeared with a rather large stack of paperwork in her arms. "Sakura! You were supposed to report in to me this morning, what kept you?"

The pink haired kunoichi didn't respond immediately, but lowered her chakra infused fist slowly as the shock wore away. "S-Sorry, Tsunade-sama. I was…held up."

The Hokage regarded her student with watchful, narrowed eyes before she plopped the leering pile of paperwork onto Sakura's desk. "You are to report in to me by the end of the day. I want those filed, and the patients in rooms 205 and 306 need to be tended to. Oh and Sakura?"

Said kunoichi raised her eyes to meet the sharp almond brown gaze of her sensei. "Hai?"

"As I am sure you know already, Uchiha Sasuke has returned to Konoha. The village elders are questioning his motives, and I myself don't trust the boy as far as I could pummel him, which, of course, isn't really all that bad of an idea right now. But you my dear," She pointed to Sakura. "Are to stay focused. I don't want your attention deterred from your work or your training; otherwise I'll pull your active duty status. We clear?"

Sakura's fists had tightened with fury, but she managed a small, polite smile. "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade saw through it, but she kept silent. _I'm sorry, Sakura. But this is for your own good._

* * *

A couple of weeks passed.

The village Elders convened in secret many times over, questioning the Uchiha's motives for returning to the village. His responses remained a constant, however. The Restoration of his clan could not happen any other place than Konoha. The people he had hunted down and destroyed had only previously made or posed threats to the village, and his destruction of Akatsuki only further exemplified his motives.

Tsunade didn't buy it.

At age 22, he and the rest of Rookie Nine had all grown into powerful shinobi. His power had grown astronomically, it had been rumored.

Tsunade cleared her throat.

All eyes in the room turned to her, and her almond eyes narrowed on the young man seated before them.

"You have returned, Uchiha Sasuke, and admitted back into the Village of Konoha under the good graces of my temper and this council. Bringing us the head of Uchiha Madara I will take as a token of confidence."

She saw a look of anger flash through the Uchiha's eyes before it was gone a second later.

_Gotcha._

"You have been gone for ten years. Rumors of your abilities have spread far and wide. It is for the concern of this village, and those shinobi who also reside here, that we must understand the full extent of your abilities."

He carefully hid his smirk.

"You will, in one week's time, undergo examination, at which point your abilities will determine the threat you may pose should you choose to turn against this village again and…" Tsunade waited a beat before continuing with…

"And your level and status as a re-instated, on probation…shinobi of Konoha."

The Uchiha couldn't help the shock that spread across his features at this.

A chance to show off…or a real chance of redemption.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

**A/N:**

YAY! Finally publishing this!

I'd started writing this back in the spring of 2008, trying to find some muse for some of my other work, and this was the result. Only a year or two ago, it became further inspired by the song by Christina Perri, _Jar of Hearts_. It was such a dead ringer for the mood theme for the beginning of this ficlet. :)

I wanted this story to have some face time, but also wanted _Strength of The Heart_ to finish out before I posted this new one. It won't be angsty for long, I promise. You guys show know I'm a total sucker for happy endings. ;)

Halfway into my first semester of my senior year of college now. I'm about to graduate with two bachelor's degrees next summer, so I can't promise a regular update. It will not take me years to update though. ^^;

But reviews and critiques and encouragement area always welcome! :)

xoxo

Konoha no Uchiha Sakura


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I won't pretend that I own rights to Naruto or any of the characters. I just enjoy playing with the new ideas that pop into my head whenever my muse permits it. ;)

I thank you all for the lovely feedback! Here's chapter two! Enjoy!

**Life Restored – Chapter 2**

The morning was bright and chipper, but her mood certainly didn't reflect it.

Making her way down the street to the hospital, Sakura encountered several people all whispering animatedly about something, their hushed voices filled with excitement.

The moment she heard the words "Uchiha Sasuke" however, she turned and headed back in the opposite direction.

"Poor girl," She heard out of the fog. Sakura's feet nearly came to a halt, but she slowed her pace, feeling her eyes narrow.

"All this time he's been gone…and she's been alone."

"Such a waste. She's grown so strong under Godaime-sama."

Sakura felt her stomach clench in anger, and she took off at a run.

Even the village elderly were gossiping now. About her.

Joy.

Lost in her own head, Sakura found herself wandering farther and farther down the street, until she stopped in front of the Shinobi Memorial before realizing her feet had carried her there.

The morning was still early, the sun still had yet to peek above the massive tree line as she slowly sank to her knees in front of the memorial stone. Carefully releasing a heavy sigh, Sakura's eyes found one of the most recent names to be carved into the black marble.

"Kaka-sensei…" She whispered, feeling the knot growing in her throat. Tears prickled the corners of her eyes as she lightly traced the characters of his name.

Plopping herself back on the dewy grass, she missed the pair of sharp red eyes watching her closely from behind the trees.

She tucked her arms behind her head and lay back on the soft earth, feeling another heavy sigh escape her lips.

"I wish you were here," She whispered, looking up at the large stone. "You would know what to do. You could tell me if I was really losing it or not."

Her eyes drifted shut as she slowly drew a breath.

"Naruto's happy, of course. The guy hasn't stopped grinning since that night. I guess he can fulfill his destiny and become Hokage now. All of his precious people are…" She swallowed, feeling her eyes well with tears. "Well…_most_ of his precious people are back home and safe."

She thumbed her right eye clear, drawing away any sign of tears. "He's changed, Kaka-sensei. I don't know how much, but…he's just…_different_."

Sakura laughed humorously. "At least he didn't try to kill me again the night he came back. Just acted like a superior asshole." She scoffed very unladylike.

Footsteps nearby alerted her and her eyes immediately snapped open. She was on her feet fast, but the alarm faded as she saw another shinobi approaching, long luxurious blonde hair swaying in the wind.

Ino.

Light blue eyes lifted to meet hers as she came closer, and Sakura's eyes widened a touch when she saw the pair of to-go coffee cups in the kunoichi's hands.

"Peace offering." Ino said as she stopped in front of Sakura. She extended the cup out to her friend, a faint smile on her face.

Sakura carefully took the cup, delighting momentarily that the liquid within must still be steaming hot, as the cup warmed her chilled hands.

"What brings you out here this early?" Sakura asked after a long moment. Her eyes dropped to the lip of the to-go cup as she carefully tested out a sip.

"A hunch." Ino murmured.

Sakura ignored the jab as she sank to the grass once more, slowly and cautiously sipping her drink.

"I'm calling you out, Pig. You've brought me my favorite coffee and called it a peace offering. What's going on?"

Ino felt the sigh escape her before she could stop it. "You know Forehead, sometimes I do things for the people I care about for no good reason at all. How about that?"

Sakura snorted. "Shenanigans."

Ino grinned instantly. "And you say that _I_ do that too much…"

Sakura's face lit up in a smile. "Yeah? And where do you think I picked up that horrible habit up from?"

Ino's smile slowly faded. "Seriously though. I came to see how you were doing. I know this is a place you usually come every morning, but I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks, and Tsunade-sama said you've been working double time at the hospital recently."

Sakura shrugged. "It's the beginnings of flu season. Duty calls." She nudged Ino with her shoulder.

"Shenanigans." Ino murmured.

Sakura sighed and dragged a hand through her long hair. "Look, I'd rather be doing what I am, instead of feeling like I'm holed up inside the village with a bunch of people who are happy to see…" She let her voice trail off, her hands clenched tightly into fists.

"See…_what_?" Ino questioned. "Oh out with it already, Forehead!"

Sakura shook her head, draining the last of her coffee in one swig. "I've got to get to work—"

"It's about the Uchiha coming back, isn't it." Ino's voice was hard.

Like that was really a question.

Sakura shot her best friend a glare. No matter what she tried to pretend, or who she tried to save face for, Yamanaka Ino knew her best. Better than anyone in the entirety of the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

"I know why you've thrust yourself into your work as of late, Sakura." Ino continued. "You've been doing it ever since Naruto came back nearly dead. You were trying to save everyone that you could. But not anymore. Now…you've changed."

Sakura froze.

"Your work isn't your passion like it used to be. I never hear of any new medical jutsu that you've learned; only I hear of the kind of hours that you keep from my father, who has been supplying the hospital staff with the soldiers I know you've been popping like fucking candy."

Ino's voice rose a little in volume as her emotions spiked. "Your work has become nothing more than your escape! You long for people to heal so that you can avoid facing the reality of what life has become. Naruto is on his way to becoming Hokage. You've spent the last five years doing nothing but work and training. Tenten, Hinata and I _rarely_ ever see you anymore! What's happened to you Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes were narrowed, but she fisted a handful of grass beneath them and yanked aimlessly on it.

"I guess I thought I'd reached that point, Ino." She said softly. "I thought if I made enough of an impact in people's lives that I could atone for not being strong enough back then."

She sighed heavily as her eyes lifted to the sky. "I'm so angry, Ino." She whispered. Her eyes squeezed shut.

Sakura felt a hand grip hers and her eyes snapped open. Ino was looking at her with a mixture of pity and sadness on her face. "Who is it that you're really angry with, Sakura?"

Her head lowered as she looked down at her lap. "I'm furious at _him_, Ino." Her jaw clenched.

"Because you still love him, right?" Ino's voice was soft.

Sakura's heart skipped a couple of beats at her friend's words and leapt into her throat.

"Because he fucking _left!" _Sakura's voice hardened and she glared daggers at her best friend. "And now I'm just supposed to believe that he's _changed_ and is ready to turn over a new leaf? He _betrayed_ the village! He tried to kill Naruto! Kaka-sensei…" Her voice got trapped in her throat as tears sprung to her eyes. "Kakashi died fighting Obito to save Uchiha's life. He's _gone_ because of him! How the _hell_ can he not know of the amount of destruction that he's caused?!"

Ino chose her words carefully, worrying her lip as she pieced everything together. "Sakura-chan," She murmured. "You're mad at him because he left you, Naruto and the village behind. You were mad at Naruto when he went off for a couple of years training with Jiraiya, and when Kakashi—"

"I was _not_ mad at Naruto for leaving to train. I encouraged him to go." Sakura interjected. "And I can see where you're going with this. I do NOT have abandonment issues."

But the look on Ino's face told her she'd yet to convince the blonde kunoichi otherwise.

With an annoyed eye roll, Sakura stood up. "I don't have to explain myself if you're not going to listen."

Ino shot to her feet too. "I'm not judging, I'm just trying to help. I don't want to see you upset anymore! I just want my best friend back!"

Sakura's throat tightened and she felt her eyes well with tears. Her arms were around Ino instantly and she hugged her best friend as if she were a life line. "I'm sorry," She whispered.

Ino squeezed her back, both kunoichi hugging the other like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Finally Ino pulled back from her. "You've got to pull it together, Forehead girl. I thought we were past this mess." A small smile touched her lips as she looked at her best friend.

Sakura turned her head, feeling her stomach tighten.

"You've got to accept the fact that he's back, Sakura. Because dragging yourself through the mud every day like this isn't healthy. Just act civil towards him, and agree to work with him on missions if that's what ends up happening."

Sakura wasn't looking at her. Her eyes were narrowed on the tree line.

"How did you know to find me here this morning, Ino?" She asked suddenly, her voice no more than a whisper.

The blonde looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face before responding, "I didn't. Naruto told me that you come here in the mornings to talk to Kakashi-sensei, and you coming to my flower shop every week suddenly made that much more sense…wait, why are you standing up?"

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, trying her best to control her pounding heart. "I'm gonna be late for work, Ino-pig. Walk with me?"

Ino rose to her feet, brushing the grass and the morning dew from her skirt as she did so. Gathering up hers and Sakura's empty coffee cups, she smiled brightly at her best friend.

"You know, we really should go shopping together again sometime. Tenten only ever wants to go look at new weaponry, and Hinata…well, I can rarely ever get the chance to steal her away because Hiashi-san rarely ever lets her do anything nowadays. I need someone to pick out clothes with! We used to do that all the time before you got so busy you forgot all about me."

Sakura couldn't help the small smile that reached her lips. "I didn't forget about you Ino-pig."

Ino nudged her as they walked down the path together that led back towards the main part of the village.

"Shenanigans."

* * *

He watched her go.

He'd planned on approaching her after she arrived at the Memorial this morning, but then he'd heard her talking and he couldn't help the frown that took over his face.

He knew talking to her was going to be hard. Especially given their encounter that first night.

A smirk found its way to his face as he watched her go. She'd been able to sense him. Which meant she'd known to look for him. He knew from experience that Sakura was certainly not a stupid girl. Her very status within the village proved that. Not to mention during the war he'd seen shinobi that would have been dead due to the extent of their injuries brought back to good health after she'd tended to them.

He'd know, he was the one who'd injured some of them.

Sasuke rose from his crouched position in the trees, lost in his thoughts.

The sun was peeking above the horizon, which meant it would be time for her to be at work soon. He had to meet up with Naruto to train this morning as well, but based on the dobe's tendencies to sleep in; Sasuke doubted he would see the idiot before noon.

The sight of Sakura and Ino leaving angered him. He slammed a fist into the tree he was standing on. His heart froze in his chest when he saw Sakura turn a quick glance over her shoulder back at him. He knew she couldn't see him, but looking at her face pulled him to her even more, and he found himself taking a step closer on the branch.

He'd been following her during the days when he wasn't caught up in some meeting with the council, or when he wasn't training with Naruto. Most of the time he spent watching her from afar, never confronting her outright.

A slight movement caught his eye to his left and he had to repress the urge to use a katon jutsu in that direction. Of course another perk of his return had been to be placed under constant ANBU surveillance. Tsunade had decreed it, and as a stipulation for his ability to stay and rebuild what was left of his clan's estate, he had to comply.

The test he had to undergo was in just a couple of days now. Whatever sentence the council was devising, no doubt would be dependent upon the amount of power he displayed.

The only question now was to decide if unveiling everything he'd mastered in the ten years he'd been gone would be worth the trouble or not.

The corner of his mouth tilted upward slightly.

It was funny how both the village council and the Godaime Hokage thought they had control over what he did. In reality he was playing nice to get back in the good graces of Fire Country once more. His Clan needed to be restored. He would do whatever it took to make that happen.

But the retreating pink haired kunoichi was another matter entirely.

His hand tightened into a fist.

"I'm not going to let you go." He murmured softly to himself as he watched her disappear in the trees.

* * *

The door to her office burst open and Sakura tossed her white lab coat onto her messy desk.

Ino tentatively followed her in, curious as she looked around. Her eyes widened as she noted the still gaping hole in the wall of Sakura's office. Someone had covered it with a plastic tarp, where it was haphazardly duct-taped closed until a construction crew could properly attend to it. "Geez Forehead, got something against the walls in here?"

Sakura tracked her gaze and waved her off. "That," She paused. "Was an accident."

Ino snorted. "Right. And I'm guessing the state of your office is simply a case of the "I forgot to cleans" too, hmm?"

Sakura whirled and pegged Ino with an unamused look. "Says the girl who practically needs a bulldozer to do her dirty laundry."

Ino stuck her tongue out. "Hey, just because I happen to have more clothing than you do doesn't mean you get to hate on my cleaning ability."

"Just your poor habits." Sakura winked at her and grinned.

Ino made a dramatic gesture and plopped onto the worn couch in Sakura's office. She waited a beat before pegging her best friend with a hard look.

"All right Forehead, so what is it?"

Sakura slowly lowered herself into her chair, her thumbnail in her teeth as she slowly chewed on it. With a heavy sigh, she looked at the floor.

"He tracked me down the night he returned, Ino."

Ino's eyes bugged out of her head. "Wait…_what? _What the heck do you mean?!"

Sakura threw her an annoyed look that clearly said _You're kidding me, right? _

"I mean he tracked me down the night he came back. I was…accidentally injured while on that ANBU mission, and hadn't had the chance to really heal myself yet. And…well…"

She really needed to summarize this thing quick. Ino was known for asking too many questions.

"Look, you said that I needed to act civil, like we were just acquaintances, but after that night—"

"HANG ON." Ino was holding up a hand to stop Sakura from continuing. "He tracked you down. You obviously were hurt so you must've been easy for him to catch…" Ino gasped. "HE DIDN'T HURT YOU DID HE?!"

Sakura suppressed the urge to shudder. In a quiet voice she whispered, "No Ino-chan…he didn't." But her arms went around herself as she hugged her torso.

Ino sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. She'd not seen Sakura act this way in years. "Well? Then what happened with you two?"

Sakura was quiet for a long moment before she was suddenly up and out of her chair. Her lab coat was in her hands as she went to the small locker in the corner of her office and hung it up. She proceeded to clear the clutter of papers and files and books from her desk as she talked, walking to and from the desk to the bookshelf, the desk to the filing cabinet.

Cleaning was therapeutic for her, she'd realized some years ago, and it helped her to have something to do as she relived that night with Ino.

Ino watched her, stifling her impatience. She knew from experience that forcing Sakura to talk would be counterproductive, but damn it all if watching the pink haired medic pace around the office like she had a serious case of the rattles wasn't driving _her_ crazy! Finally, she uncrossed her arms and planted them firmly on her hips. "Out with it, Sakura-chan."

"He didn't hurt me, but Kami, when I say I was terrified, I mean every word of it. He's so different now Ino, it was like seeing a stranger with Sasuke's face. I've been on edge ever since his return, and then days like today, I swear I feel like I'm being watched…"

Ino's expression changed, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Do we need to go to Tsunade-sama about this?"

"No!"

Ino startled as Sakura dropped the heavy textbook she was holding. Sakura was looking at her with a horrified expression. She arched a perfectly formed blonde eyebrow at her best friend.

"So you don't want to go to Tsunade-sama, you'd rather just pretend like you're mad at him when in reality you're just scared shitless? Is that it?" Ino was looking at her with a stern expression. "I swear you make no sense, Forehead. What is it that you really want?"

Sakura's knees decided that they didn't want to hold her up any longer, and so she sank slowly into her chair once more, a defeated look on her face.

"I'm not sure," She whispered after a long moment. "I know he's fighting hard to regain his Clan's honor. I'm not about to do anything that would jeopardize that. But I won't lie when I say I'm terrified of him. I AM still mad at him, over everything that's happened, and I guess reminding myself of that every time I see him helps me keep it together…"

She sighed as her eyes dropped to the book in her hands.

"SAKURA-CHAAAAN!"

The door to Sakura's office opened, startling both kunoichi. Naruto entered a big grin on his face with his hands tucked behind his head.

"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan! What's with the book?" His bright smile faded into a frown as he saw the rather large medical textbook raised above her head.

She carefully covered up her laugh as a light cough as she set the book back on her desk once more.

"Naruto, one of these days you're going to have to learn how to knock. You scared us!" She walked around her desk and went to envelop her teammate in a big hug.

Naruto made a face as he hugged her back. He was quick to piece together that they weren't the only two in Sakura's office. "Hey Ino-pig! What're you doing in here?"

Ino stood up, a smile on her face. "Probably the same reason you are, Naruto. Just wanted to visit Forehead-chan here. She practically lives in the hospital nowadays and so I never see her anymore." She laughed at the dirty glare she was getting from her best friend. Her smile disappeared instantly as she saw Sasuke standing in the doorway.

Sakura had frozen in her spot, her feet seemingly unable to move.

"What are you doing here?" Ino managed to say, her eyes narrowing slightly on the Uchiha.

"Well you see," Naruto began to answer, "Teme and I were heading to see Tsunade no baa-chan this morning before we go train! I wanted to see Sakura-chan, so we stopped by!" Naruto was still smiling. He hadn't noticed the two kunoichi's uneasiness at all.

Sasuke's eyes locked on Sakura as he leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed casually over his chest.

"Dobe. We've obviously interrupted their conversation." His eyes never left her.

Naruto bounded forward, engulfing Sakura in a bear hug. "We'll see you later Sakura-chan! Want to join me and Teme for ramen tonight?"

She was jarred enough from her frozen shock enough to lightly return his embrace. "A-Ah…we'll see, Naruto. I have a lot of work to do here. Thanks for coming to see me though."

"Aww Sakura-chan c'mon! You say that every time!" He pulled back from her and gave Sakura his best pouty puppy dog face. "Miso please?"

Despite her stomach doing little flips by having Sasuke in her doorway, Sakura laughed. _"Miso please?"_ She repeated. "That's a new one."

Naruto grinned. "Cause 'Miso' is so much better than 'pretty' cause it tastes so good!"

"Like you really substituting a food for an adjective is going to make her come and eat with us, Dobe." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura silently looked over at the dark shinobi in her doorway, incredulity written on her face.

_Did he really just try and make a joke?_

Naruto made a face at Sasuke. "Don't be such a stick in the ass, Teme! Sakura-chan always likes my jokes!"

She fought the smile, she really did. But Naruto made it so hard for her to be afraid in front of the Uchiha, even with him towering in her doorway. The warm blonde shinobi engulfed her in a huge hug again before walking her backwards and plopping her into her chair again.

"Get to work then Sakura-chan! Team 7 dinner at seven! Yeah!"

Sakura shook her head with a faint smile as she picked up a file from her desk and flipped it open. "Later Naruto-kun."

Ino had been silent the whole time, but she offered a small wave as Naruto marched himself right out of the office, with Sasuke not too far behind. The Uchiha gave Sakura one last smirk as he pushed himself off of the door panel and followed Naruto out of the hospital.

The second his eyes left her, Sakura felt her heart restart.

Ino waited a couple of heartbeats before going over and closing the door behind them with a small scoff. "Okaaay, so _that_ was weird…" When she turned around and looked at Sakura, her eyes widened a touch.

It was only then, that Sakura realized she'd been shaking.

* * *

**A/N:**

Yay! Chapter two is up! I'm not sure what it is, but I have been so excited to write this story, and so in between classes and work I've been working on this bit by bit. Many thanks to my long time friend and partner in crime Hyuuga Ayame for beta-ing for me. She puts up with my consistant pestering phone calls and emails and helps me through the road blocks, lol.

This story is gonna progress soon, I promise! And the confrontation of Sasuke and Sakura is gonna be fun, hehe. *grins big* I can't wait to get it written! ;D

Thank you to those who left reviews! You guys totally made my day.

Love and hugs,

~Konoha no Uchiha Sakura


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** The following is purely a fan created work of my imagination. All characters and references are owned by Kishimoto senpai. Any questions?

**Life Restored – Chapter 3**

…

Quietly exiting her patient's room, she blew a few strands of pink from her eyes as she closed the door shut behind her.

Her patient had fallen during the reconstruction of one of the residential buildings and had suffered a severe compound fracture in his left leg. She sighed heavily as she reviewed his file. His operation had been earlier this morning, and he had done well. The extent of his injury wasn't revealed until they'd reset the bone. It had torn through several layers of muscle, and had required the skill and chakra of two of their best medics to repair the damage.

She was exhausted.

Her chat this morning with Ino had taken a lot out of her, as did her small panic attack at her surprise visitor. A quick glance at the clock in the hallway told her that she would soon be out of work.

Right at seven.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she stuffed her patient's file under her arm and brushed her hair back from her face. Squaring her shoulders, she promptly headed for her office, determined to shed her white coat and sneak home before Naruto noticed she had no intentions of showing up tonight.

"Sakura-san! Sakura-san!"

Whirling on her toe she caught sight of the harrowed receptionist as she raced towards her. "Emergency case just arrived! His heart rate is falling and—!"

"Where is he?" Sakura interjected sharply, all business and calm.

"Emergency bay two." The receptionist answered automatically, holding out her hands toward Sakura. Without a second thought Sakura passed her the file she held before taking off at a brisk jog for the emergency level. She hadn't asked for a name, as most of her patients were shinobi. But because if she knew who it was, emotions got in the way of who she was healing and thoughts of the terror and pain she would feel if something happened to them…

Tonight was just going to get more exciting, she thought, tying her hair up as she ran. A grim smile tightened her lips. At least now she wouldn't have to sneak home. But the thought of letting Naruto down also pulled at her heart too. The moment she entered the emergency bay, however, all thoughts ceased. Her mind was on her patient now, who was bleeding from multiple areas on his torso and one nasty gash on his head. She watched as the other medics began to cut away his clothing and noted underneath all of the blood and dirt what he was wearing.

He was ANBU.

Sakura's stomach tightened and her eyes narrowed as she studied the extent of his injuries while the emergency team hurriedly prepped the bay. The man wasn't panicking or thrashing about as most cases in his condition. He was utterly calm, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping, and his heart rate falling erratically. Sakura's heart leapt into her throat as she recognized the jutsu.

A nearby nurse pressed a soldier pill into her hand, and Sakura popped it into her mouth immediately, swallowing it down fast. She was going to need the extra boost; it was going to be a long night. Quickly snapping on a pair of latex gloves, Sakura shut her mind off and focused on what she excelled at.

Healing.

* * *

Sasuke sat atop the roof of Hokage tower, eyes closed briefly as he let himself feel the light breeze and the warmth of the setting sun…Though he would never admit to doing so. Sharp eyes carefully opened to stare into the falling sun, narrowing a little as he watched it burn the clouds behind the trees.

He silently rubbed the palms of his hands down the sides of his dark pants, wiping away blood.

His sparring with Naruto had gone well today. He was feeling confident that his presentation to the village council would go well, especially given the fact that he had been seen training and sparring with the blonde idiot nearly every day the last two weeks. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. That wasn't the only person he'd been seen with either, he knew. But unfortunately his former pink haired and fiery teammate had made herself difficult to confront directly.

Sasuke felt his smirk widen. She was interesting, indeed. His mind flashed back to their encounter that they had before his return. Something that seemed to be on his mind constantly since he'd returned to Konoha…

_It was nearing the end of the war, shortly after the battle against Akatsuki, when Sasuke found himself in bad shape. Itachi had warned him from using their bloodline limit far too much, the Mangekyo Sharingan taking a substantial toll upon the user as a result. And sure enough, blood streamed from the bottom of both eyes as he staggered deeper into the forest, seeking refuge. He had sustained a few injuries during the battle, none of them too detrimental to his life, but his chakra levels were dangerously low. _

_The sound of rushing water greeted him like a breath of fresh air, and he found himself at the edge of a river shortly thereafter. His hands submerged into the water, bringing them up to his face and washing the blood free from his eyes. His vision was still terribly blurry, but the coolness of the water helped soothe the burn and focus his mind through the haze of pain. His sharp senses then alerted him that he wasn't alone, and his sword was in his hands as he stalked toward the presence._

_The echoing of his footsteps a few minutes later told him that he had found himself inside of a small cave beside the river. _

_He swallowed his curse as he realized he'd alerted whoever it was to his presence, and he easily dodged a flying kunai a second later. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the other shinobi's chakra signature, as if the scent of her wasn't enough of a dead giveaway. _

"_Sakura."_

_The other shinobi froze, one chakra infused fist raised by her face as she readied herself for a fight. "S-Sasuke?" She whispered. _

_He didn't move. Encountering her far from the battlefield in the middle of the night was an unlikely, if but rare chance. He read her easily, noting her condition as he scrutinized her. Even with his hazy vision he could see she was injured as well, her body barely holding the strength to keep her upright. _

_Sasuke took a small step towards her, and she disappeared._

_The loud crack echoed throughout the cave as her fist collided with the side of his face. He didn't even see it coming and hadn't expected it. But he was ready and on his toes for her next blow, which he caught with some difficulty as she threw what strength she had remaining into the punch. Countering her balance, Sasuke subdued her easily and pinned her body against his just as her knees collapsed. _

_He felt her shoulders trembling and it took him a minute to realize she was crying. _

_His anger slowly bled out of him, replacing it with mild annoyance. He gently lowered them both to the floor, cautiously anticipating another attack from her. When it didn't come, he realized the extent of her injuries; Blood was rapidly seeping from a nasty wound on her side, staining his sleeve bright red. There was a gash somewhere near her hairline as her soft and bright pink hair was matted with red. It was no surprise she'd been this far out. But regardless, he opened his mouth and asked her anyway. _

"_What are you doing here?"_

_She weakly pushed him back, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Isn't it obvious?" She whispered before her words were cut off by a fit of coughing. She winced as blood came up her throat and into her hands. She pushed herself away from him, doing her best to support her weight on her arms as she propped herself up against the wall of the cave. _

_She refused to meet his gaze._

"_Naruto told me to run; that he would find me later. Kaka-sensei disappeared as he fought Obito. I don't know what happened to them, but I'm no good to either one of them as I am right now. I needed to heal myself before I went back to the battlefield."_

"_You plan to fight in your condition?" His voice was bemused. Not mocking, just…curious._

_Sakura's fist clenched. "I would expect no less of myself." She whispered. "I am a shinobi of Konoha, and I have a duty to my teammates and my village."_

_He took the hint. _

_She reached for her medical pack and pulled a few field dressing kits free. Sasuke watched in plain amazement as she staunched the bleeding on her side, and began to suture the wound together. "Why do you not heal yourself, Sakura?" He asked softly as he watched her wince with every stitch. _

"_My chakra is low." She murmured. "This should do it to get me through the battle until I can get back to the village."_

_She pegged him with a hard stare that left his stomach tightening._

"_You've strained your eyes too far again, haven't you." Her voice was hard, her inquiry rhetorical. She glared at him for a long moment before she dropped her eyes back to her wound once more. "I know you're only allowing me to live for pure amusement, Sasuke." She commented as she finished stitching herself up, her voice unreadable as if discussing her own demise were no more of a big deal than discussing the weather. _

_Sasuke felt his eyes narrow as he pulled his katana free and laid it casually across his lap. _

"_I have no reason to kill you." He murmured softly as he watched her. _

_Sakura ripped the surgical thread free from the needle and it broke with a sharp snap that even elicited a wince from the stoic Uchiha. _

_Raising herself up on her knees, she lifted the base of her shirt just enough to expose the wound, before she began to wrap herself with bandages around her middle, sealing off the wound temporarily. She didn't meet his gaze as she did this, though she could feel his eyes on her the entire time. The lean muscles of her abdomen flexed as she twisted herself back and forth, securing the bandages nice and tight. When she was finished, she cut the bandages with a kunai before discarding it beside her. _

"_Is that so." She sat herself back against the wall of the cave once more, her breathing ragged as she pegged him with a hard stare. "Then will you do me a favor?"_

_He arched an eyebrow at her, his eyes never deviating from her face. _

"_Tell me everything."_

_His eyes closed as he felt the smirk drift back to his features once more. _

"_Still wanting answers, Sakura? You haven't changed—"_

"_I want to know if what Itachi told Kakashi is true or not." She interjected, and she watched his eyes snap open in response. _

_Sakura hid her smile. _Gotcha,_ she thought. _

_Sasuke's glare made her insides twist as he sat forward, his expression dangerous, all traces of mockery gone. "Why do you feel you need to know, _Sakura?"

_She glared right back at him. "Because, _Uchiha,_ I want to know if defending the village that I've lived in and fought for my entire life has been worth it. The only ones that know of what Itachi said apart from Kaka-sensei are Naruto and I. Word has not spread outside of Team 7, Sasuke. But I want to know here and now if everything that Kaka-sensei learned is true."_

_Sasuke's glare wavered a little as he looked at her. The ferocity in her burning emerald eyes shook him to his core. She certainly wasn't the naiveté little shinobi she was all those years ago, and she certainly wasn't as weak as he'd known her to be back then. The knowledge that burned behind her eyes penetrated straight through every shield he'd built and the kunoichi he was staring at now was unlike anyone he'd ever encountered before. _

"_Yes," He murmured softly, "It is true."_

_She felt her eyes well with tears as her head fell back against the cave wall. She squeezed her eyes shut and her jaw locked as she processed everything that was racing through her mind in that moment. _

_Sasuke watched her closely, noting her response to the information he'd just given her. Why he had granted her request was beyond him. He usually just blew people off when it came to him and his personal business. But Sakura wasn't just anyone to him, no matter how hard he'd tried to crush the bonds he had created with her, Naruto, Kakashi and the village. _

"_Does this change how you feel towards Konoha?" He asked his voice hard with hatred._

_Her eyes snapped open and she pegged him with a furious glare. "Towards my village? No. Towards the elders who ordered the slaughter of a prestigious clan and integral part of the village?" Her eyes narrowed and he saw a level of disdain lower to that of almost hate. "Towards the slaughter of innocent people?" _

_Her voice was dangerously low as she whispered, "Yes."_

_Sasuke felt his stomach tighten and he felt his face twist with disgust. "Why do you even give a shit, Sakura?" He spat. _

_Her fist tightened and she lunged for him again, this time he barely caught her fist before it could collide with his cheek._

"_I let you hit me once," He warned. "Not again."_

"_I give a SHIT, _Uchiha_," She spat, "Because I stupidly still love you! I have spent most of my life training to save lives, and I have been fighting to protect a village that is guilty of murder! I have been doing all of this under the guise that Konoha isn't corrupt like Otogakure or Kirigakure are! All of this time I have been living under a lie! How can YOU of all people accuse me of NOT giving a shit?!"_

_She glared right up at him, her fist captured in his strong hold as she ranted, tears brimmed her eyes as she yelled at the man who had broken her heart so many times over the last ten years…_

_Something stirred in his heart. _

_He was silent as he stared at her, disbelief coloring his features as he looked into her deep viridian eyes. _

_After a long moment, Sakura moved to get away from him. "Let me go, Sasuke." She whispered. Her gaze dropped from his face as she looked down to see where he still clutched her wrist. She gave her arm a light tug, and he slowly unclenched his fist, releasing her. She gently rubbed her wrist as she measured the extent of his injuries. _

"_Here," She whispered softly after a long moment, pushing herself up onto her knees as she inched closer to him. He didn't move away from her, but his hand shot up to block her from coming any closer. She sighed quietly before gathering what little chakra she had remaining to her hands. "Let me at least clear your vision, all right?"_

_His eyes narrowed, but she pushed through and gently cupped his cheeks in her hands. _

"_Why?" He croaked his voice so thick he barely recognized himself. _

_Sakura shook her head, silent tears trailing down her cheeks. "I'll do this one last thing for you, Sasuke. And then you'll never have to see me again."_

_His arm dropped away from her._

_She scooted closer, to where she could kneel between his knees, her hands gently resting on either side of his temples as she manipulated her chakra into his optic chakra pathways. She felt the damage done from too much strain, and she slowly set about repairing the broken and strained pathways before she began repairing the nerve damage he'd done. She recognized his chakra present in his eyes still, and with a heavy sigh she threaded her fingers into his hair, lightly caressing. _

"_Sasuke," She whispered gently, "De-activate your Sharingan. I can't fix you if you keep using the very thing that's hurting you." _

_She felt him relax against her, and she had to hide her smile. She kept up with the hair stroking with one hand as she channeled her chakra with the other. _

_He was in Heaven. For a moment, there was no other way to describe the wondrous feeling he felt now. The pain was vanishing with a cool rush, as if he was submerging himself into cool water, and the muscles in his eyes were relaxing. He realized that no one had stroked his hair like that since his mother had done it when he was a child. The action brought back memories of her and for a moment he was thankful his eyes were closed. _

_It was over far too quickly._

_Sakura withdrew from him, her hands shaking a little as she pushed herself back. His eyes opened, and he had to hide his shock as he saw her clearly for the first time in _years.

_She'd given him back his sight. _

"_Sakura…"_

_She forced herself to her feet as she walked on unsteady legs to the mouth of the cave, where she knelt and dipped her hands into the water below the waterfall. She cupped her hands and lifted them to her lips so she could drink._

_She felt him approach from behind, and knew that he was getting ready to leave once more. _

"_You've given me back my power." He whispered softly. His words resonated in her heart, even over the roar of the waterfall, she heard his every word. Forcing herself to stand, she looked up at him. _

"_I restored your vision, Sasuke, that's all." _

_He reached forward and clutched her arms tightly. "Not going to ask me to come back to Konoha?" He murmured, his eyes never leaving her face. _

_A sad smile took over her features. "No, Sasuke, I'm not. Konoha is not where you want to be anymore, I've accepted that. And after…after all that's happened, I don't blame you." She drew a deep breath as she blinked away her tears. "But…I want you to know that…I will always love you." She offered him one last, faint smile before she lowered her head and started to pull back from him…_

_His lips crashed onto hers faster than she could've expected. Her surprised gasp only drove him harder and he deepened the kiss even more. One hand snaked around her waist and the other threaded into her hair, holding her gently as he kissed her fiercely. _

_Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slowly kissed him back, her knees trembling, her heart thundering away in her chest, and her fingers threading into his hair again. She never even saw it coming. _

_Sasuke tore away from her a few minutes later, leaving her gasping for breath. His eyes burned with intensity as he looked into hers, his fingers fisting in her hair. "I don't deserve you," He growled, pulling her head back before claiming her lips again. _

_She cried out as his teeth sank into her lower lip, but she was silenced a second later. She held him as tightly as she could, wincing as he brushed her side with his arm. Pressing herself up on her toes, she kissed him hard, her teeth nipping his tongue. His response was immediate, and he dipped her back, supporting her fully in his arms. _

_When they broke away, both shinobi were breathing hard. Sakura's breath came in sharp gasps and Sasuke did his best to get his features under control. She rested her forehead against his as she caught her breath, feeling his hair tickle the sides of her face. She pulled back from him to meet his gaze, and was surprised to see bright crimson._

_It was the last thing she remembered._

* * *

Sakura emerged from the surgical suite three hours later.

Her head was pounding and her stomach was twisting painfully. The procedure had barely been a success, the ANBU shinobi coded twice during the operation, but they thankfully had been able to resuscitate him with a few short chakra bursts to his heart. Sakura felt her vision start to fade as she rubbed her eyes with one hand.

Office. She just needed to get to her office.

Barely coherent, she accidentally bumped into someone in the hallway, and she about bounced right into the opposite wall as a result. Mumbling a half-hearted apology to them she continued her trek down the hall and up the flight of stairs to her sanctuary.

The door to her office opened far too easily, but she paid no notice of it as she tossed her white coat onto her desk before going to collapse on the small couch she had in her office. It took her a second to realize that her normally soft and plushy couch held an occupant, and her eyes shot open to see Naruto grinning gently down at her.

"Hiya Sakura-chan!"

Her gasp was followed by a very sleepy, "I'mssorry, Naruto." She rolled off of him, or started to, at least until Naruto seized her legs and stood up, gently laying her back on the couch again. "Just rest Sakura-chan. Tsunade no baa-chan said you'd been in surgery all day long. You need to sleep."

She nodded sleepily, feeling her eyelids drooping again as she snuggled deep into her couch.

Two arms plugged underneath her and scooped her up off the couch.

Her eyes snapped open as Naruto scooped her up. "It's okay Sakura-chan! We might've missed out on dinner, but we're not gonna just leave you to sleep here in the yucky old hospital!" Had she been more coherent and awake she would have countered that by saying that the hospital had just recently been rebuilt, so it technically wasn't _old_ any longer. The new surgical suite she'd spent most of the afternoon in justified that.

But she didn't argue.

She felt Naruto toss her up a little to get a better grip on her, but then she felt herself being put into the arms of someone else. Her mind was too far gone to really care, at least until she heard him speak.

"Dobe. You find her keys yet?"

His voice resonated in his chest and warmed her all the way to her toes. But she held still, feigning sleep. She would face her inhibitions and fears tomorrow. For now, she didn't want to think, didn't want to worry.

"Yup! Let's go!"

She felt his grip tighten on her as he carried her out of the office, and he tucked her face into his chest to shield her eyes from the bright florescent lighting as they headed out of the hospital.

Sasuke looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. She was lighter than he imagined as he cradled her against his chest, her mess of pink hair spilling over his shoulder and arm as he carried her home. He hadn't been certain earlier this morning if she'd been planning on blowing off their team dinner, and he'd known that no matter how much incessant banter the dobe provided, nothing would ease her nerves around him.

Not until they had a chance to talk.

He'd taken full advantage of their current situation, however, when the Hokage had informed Naruto and him that Sakura had been working in the hospital all day long. She'd taken two soldier pills throughout the course of the day, resulting in her current condition. Tsunade worried she would come down with a cold from the intense amount of strain Sakura had put on her body. And despite the training he knew she'd undergone, the exhausted kunoichi in his arms was in need of some serious R&R before she would be back on her feet.

So he and the dobe had set about making sure that she got it. They were her teammates, after all, the blonde idiot had said.

And he hoped…with some level that he would be able to talk with her. About what happened after they parted in that cave a year or so ago.

Sakura snuggled against him in her sleep, a soft sigh escaping her.

Sasuke smirked. If only she knew who was really carrying her home…

..

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**A/N:** Another chapter down! :D Well? What did you guys think? *grins*

If it wasn't already apparent, I had a total blast writing this. It was difficult, keeping them both in character, but I think given the particular…circumstances that things ended up pretty well. Hehe…Poor Sakura. XD

Anyway! Feedback is much appreciated! Thank you guys so much for reading! See you all next chapter! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Period, end of story. (Not this one mind you, I'm just saying.) XD

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed! Special Shout outs go to: DarkenedAngelzTears, Moonlight102310, mandeepeace. nicolerogersXX, .Fire, sleeplygirl, Millady, TurtleDovesRule, Reina2202, Naiya Tsuki, Neko the kawatta cat, pennyosu, call me alessandra and anya2011!

I've been so happy to hear from you! Truth be told, I've been so nervous about how well received this fic would be. ;) Thank you all so much for the feedback! It encourages me so much more to continue writing when I know my readers are happy. :D

* * *

**Life Restored – Chapter 4**

The very first thing that she noticed when her eyes opened was the simple fact that she was at home and in her own bed.

The second…she was still in her clothes from the day previous.

Her eyes slowly blinked a few times, clearing away the sleep as her mind came fully awake. Stifling a rather large yawn, Sakura stretched her arms above her head, feeling the muscles in her back and shoulders stretch from the long day before and the night of rest.

She lay haphazardly in her bed as her eyes found the clock. She couldn't help the groan that escaped when she saw what time it was.

8:15. Tsunade was going to kill her.

She was in no hurry to haul herself from her comfy bed, however, and her eyes fell shut again as she brought her arms down to rub her temples.

Today was going to thoroughly suck.

Her energy still hadn't returned yet, and her chakra was still dangerously low. It took her a good five minutes to muster the strength to sit up, and when she did her hair spilled down her shoulders and her head spun a little.

Sakura laughed softly as she looked down at herself, still dressed in her scrubs from the day before. At least she'd remembered to take off her white coat…

Her eyes narrowed as she realized she didn't remember coming home last night. In fact, she didn't remember even coming in through the door, much less removing her lab coat.

Sakura was on her feet and staggering a moment later. Damn it, was she really that out of it?

Her hand reaching out for the door knob, she gave it a good twist and yanked the thing open, her head pounding. She ran her fingers through her messy hair, pulling it away from her eyes as she moved towards her small kitchen. It took a long minute for her ninja reflexes to kick in and her feet froze her to the spot.

She was not alone in her apartment.

Two figures were each slumped on her couch and the chair by the window in her living room. A loud snore came from the rather large lump of orange on her couch, but onyx eyes opened from the corner of the room as her light footsteps entered the doorway.

Suddenly, the events from the night before came back to her…Naruto in her office, him picking her up…Sasuke carrying her home.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Sakura looked away, feeling her cheeks reddening at the thought being in his arms. Quickly turning around, she swore she didn't see him smirking as she went straight for the kitchen, her arm thrown out on the wall to give herself some support.

She scooted into the kitchen as quickly as she could; not liking the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had spent the night in her living room. And she'd apparently been too exhausted last night to walk herself home, much less defend herself against him.

She fumbled around, searching for a mug to make some tea. Her throat was dry and her head was killing her. Damn it all if she wasn't coming down with something. She didn't have the time to waste being sick.

Sakura found the mug, and set it on the counter as she went hunting for her teabags. She had just three bags of her favorite jasmine tea left, and made a mental note to get some more at the market later. Her vision went hazy as she reached for the mug, and she barely had the time to grab the countertop to steady her balance.

But she sent her mug flying.

The curse had barely left her lips when it shattered on the floor. Sakura let go of the counter, and slid to the floor, resting her back against the cabinets. Dizziness was taking her consciousness for a ride, and her head fell back against the cupboard by the sink. Her fingers slid into her hair as she held still, waiting for the dizziness to pass. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up feeling like this. Maybe she _was_ getting a cold…

When her world stopped spinning, she got on her hands and knees and slowly began picking up the pieces of the mug. Thankful the thing had been ceramic, she had only a few large pieces to worry about as she carefully…sliced her thumb open.

"Kuso!" She winced, glaring down at the bright red blood welling up on her thumb.

Two hands came around her from behind, and slowly pulled her to her feet. She froze at the sudden contact, hating herself for not sensing him in her kitchen. He cranked the faucet on, adjusting the dial a little before he lightly gripped her wrist and guided her hand under the spray. The water stung, but it washed the blood free.

Sakura tried to focus on the cut, but it was so very hard to distract her mind when he was standing so damn close to her…

"I-I'm fine." She stammered.

Sasuke felt himself smirk, but he didn't respond. To prove her point, Sakura closed her eyes, and slowly gathered what little chakra she had to her hand. The slice on her thumb began knitting itself back together, before her concentration was cut off both by the arm tightening around her waist, and the large hand covering hers, breaking the chakra flow.

"You should be resting, Sakura."

She forced herself to hide her shiver, and her eyes. "You're really going to try and push me around in my own house?" Exhaustion made her voice weaker than she would have liked, so she put as much of a bite into her tone as possible.

He tore a paper towel off from the rack and shut off the faucet. He was surprisingly gentle as he wrapped it around her thumb, applying enough pressure to stop the blood flow but not enough to really hurt.

Sakura kept her gaze carefully averted, not trusting herself at that point. Or him, for that matter.

She felt him pull her close, and she tensed.

But all he did was quietly guide her from the kitchen.

"I need to clean that up." She mumbled, her protest not at all strong like she had intended.

"Hn."

She was led out into the living room, where a very groggy future Hokage was rubbing the sleep from his bleary eyes. He sat up and grinned at her as Sasuke, arm wrapped around her waist, entered with her in tow.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!" Naruto's bright smile faded though when he got a good look at her. "How're you feeling?"

Her eyes narrowed on him. "You both camped out in my living room last night?"

"His idea." She turned her head to look up at her former teammate.

Naruto's smile had returned only the difference now was that his features had taken on more of a sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, we did. You were so wiped out, and we didn't want to leave you alone…"

He was a terrible liar, she knew. But for now, she would leave it be.

Sighing heavily, Sakura raked her fingers through her hair as her blonde teammate carefully reiterated his question.

"Honestly Naruto? I really don't want to go in today. But knowing my luck, after a full day in surgery yesterday there's bound to be a mountain of paperwork sitting on my desk this morning." She went back to rubbing her temples again.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No, Sakura-chan. You don't have to worry about going back today."

Her head came up, eyes widening a touch. "What're you talking about? I've not had a day off in three years. You know that. Why is today suddenly any different?"

"You were nearing chakra depletion when I brought you home last night, Sakura." Sasuke's deep voice cut into her thoughts and demanded her attention. And boy did she ever comply.

Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him, her heart fluttering in her chest. But then she got a grip on herself and narrowed her eyes on his face.

"I've been near dead from chakra depletion before, Uchiha." She murmured her voice low with warning. "I can handle it."

His answering smirk made her stomach flip anxiously. She didn't like the way that his eyes read her way too easily.

"Regardless," He continued, his voice smoothing over her anger like cool water on a fire. "We were assigned to make sure you recover."

Naruto grinned over Sasuke's shoulder. "Yup! Tsunade baa-chan said so! Team building and…ah…Sakura-chan why're you looking at me like that?"

She was glaring dangerously at the blonde. "I don't need anyone to coddle me." Her voice was icy. "Not anymore."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears before she closed her lids over them, extinguishing the anguish right along with the rest of her emotions. Her face became a mask as she started to withdraw from the Uchiha's hold.

"I'm going to report to Tsunade-shishou. You can tag along if you like Naruto, but I'm going anyway."

She pulled herself away from Sasuke…only to go nowhere.

Her eyes shot up to his, vehemence flashing in her viridian orbs as her features turned into a threatening glare. "Let go of me."

His face was blank as he calmly answered, "No."

She lost it. Her mind was exhausted, her chakra low, and her tolerance had run out.

Her fist flew before she could have the foresight to stop it.

Of course he caught her punch easily as she'd swung, her current state rendering her sluggish and predictable. Like she really _had_ any extra strength to spare to be fighting the Uchiha in the first place, but that was completely beside the point. She wanted to wipe that arrogant look from his stupid…her thoughts ceased as Sasuke glared down at her.

"What's your plan, _Sakura?" _His voice was low, his eyes dark as he pulled her against him, cradling her hand in his.

"You gonna take another soldier and really put yourself in danger?"

"Why the hell do you suddenly care?!" She fired back, twisting to free herself in his grip. He overpowered her easily and pinned her to the floor. Furious tears welled in her eyes as she glared up at him, fighting with as much strength as she could against his iron hold.

Naruto was speechless as he watched the display. He'd known Sakura most of his life, but never before had he seen her act so hateful towards the lone Uchiha survivor. He couldn't understand why she was so angry at him. But he guessed that this was one of those times Neji had told him about, not interfering and all that.

Too bad he didn't always listen.

"Sakura-chan, what's—?"

She turned her icy glare on him for a split second, and a pit opened in the bottom of his gut, freezing him where he stood. He'd seen that glare quite a few times on her in the heat of battle, but never directed at anyone she cared for or loved.

The murderous look was gone from her eyes a few seconds later, however, and she closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion rush over her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, relaxing against Sasuke's grip. Her temper was flaring because she was still burned out from the day previous, and waking up to the surprise of her old heartbreak sleeping in her apartment had definitely not been the best way to start off the day.

Opening her eyes she looked up at Sasuke. "Let me up?"

Her defeated tone and deflated temper were the only reasons why he relented his grip on her wrists and slowly climbed off of her. Even without chakra she had put up a good amount of resistance, and if she hadn't been so exhausted he knew she would have fought her hardest to leave.

Sasuke watched her carefully as he pulled her to her feet, waiting for her to change her mind about playing nice. But all she did was sway a little on her feet as she got her balance. Her hair had slipped loose from the ponytail she'd tied earlier and she looked as if she were about to fall over.

Gently gripping her elbow, he slowly pulled her towards her bedroom. "Come on."

She resisted for half of a second before she allowed herself to be pulled away. She twirled at the last minute, however, and went to Naruto's side. He stood immediately as he saw her walk back towards him. Throwing her arms around his neck, Sakura pulled him close.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." She murmured, hiding her face in his shoulder. "I shouldn't have bitten your head off. You didn't deserve that." She felt his arms come around her, holding her tight for a long moment.

When he pulled back from her, his usual grin was in place. "Ne, Sakura-chan it's okay! You get kinda scary when you're mad, is all." He chuckled as he let her go. "Go with Teme and get some rest! We'll be here in case you need us." He gave her a thumbs up as she turned to go.

Sakura couldn't help but shake her head, a faint smile on her face. Naruto never ceased to make her feel better, no matter the situation. Lifting her head, she met the Uchiha's steady gaze for a moment, before tearing her eyes away from him. She wasn't surprised when she felt his hand lightly close around her arm, but she allowed herself to be escorted the ten whole ten foot distance to her room.

When they'd rounded the corner and were out of Naruto's sight, however, Sakura rounded on Sasuke. "I'm fine." She said, holding out her hand to stop him from advancing.

Smirking, he gazed down at her, an amused look in his eyes. "You think I'm that stupid?"

Giving him an annoyed look, Sakura placed both of her hands on his chest to carefully push him back. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Uchiha." Her breath left her on a heavy sigh, "Nor do I have the energy to argue with you."

Sasuke shocked the hell out of her when he lightly took her hands in his own, and stepped forward, walking her backwards into her room. "Good." He would've chuckled at her expression, but he knew her to be more stubborn than she ever had been…before. "Which means you shouldn't have the energy to slip out the window once the dobe falls asleep either." He gave her a pointed look.

Sakura felt incredulity spread across her face.

That's when he sensed it. There was another presence in Sakura's apartment. He kept his face blank, but debated on what to do with the pink haired kunoichi staring up at him, her eyes wide. She would undoubtedly do something stupid if he didn't stop her. But certainly she knew better than to push herself, given the condition she was in currently…?

His eyes narrowed on her face as they slowly bled to red. Sakura's eyes squeezed shut and her hands tightened on his. "Don't!" She whispered as she lowered her head.

Sasuke felt his frustration evaporate at her reaction. His heart tightened in his chest as he realized she was squeezing his hands rather tight. He resisted the instinct to pull her close, as he knew that would probably upset her, and so all he did was lightly push her back until the backs of her knees bumped the side of her bed. "You need to rest, Sakura." He said quietly, before gently letting go of her and turning to walk out of her room.

Sakura's eyes snapped open when she felt him release her. "Wait!" Her heart was skipping erratically in her chest as she looked up at him, surprised to see the unexpected look on his face.

She bit her lip.

A million questions were running through her head in that moment as she stared at him, her heart torn in two different directions. But as she stared at him, she couldn't help the feeling of anxiety as it welled up in her heart, expanding until she thought it would burst. Keeping a lid on her emotions though, she let out a hearty sigh after a minute and steeled her expression.

"Thank you." Her voice was much softer. "You know, for bringing me home last night."

He smirked at her. "And here I thought you would've been revolted at the thought."

She frowned, feeling her eyes narrow on him. But when she opened her mouth to retort, he waved his hand at her.

"Get some rest, Sakura. I'm sure the Hokage will be in need of you soon."

He was gone a few seconds later, leaving Sakura to stare incredulously after him.

* * *

Sasuke quietly closed the door behind him.

Naruto was waiting for him in the living room, a frown on his face. The second presence he had sensed before was now standing in Sakura's front entryway. Sasuke fought the smirk that had worked its way to his lips as he sized up the shinobi. Naruto stayed silent, shockingly enough as Sasuke deftly moved forward. He wasn't picking up anything from the anonymous ninja standing in Sakura's doorway, but that didn't mean he could potentially pose a threat to her.

"Uchiha." The ANBU acknowledged, practically spitting his name as he held out a scroll to Sasuke. His face was covered with his mask, making it nearly impossible to get a read on him. Sasuke had to resist the urge to activate his bloodline limit and send the pompous ninja running with his tail between his legs. _No one_ slandered his family name.

But all he did was accept the scroll.

As he unrolled it, the ANBU continued. "You are hereby summoned by Godaime Hokage and Morino Ibiki to report to Hokage Tower first thing tomorrow morning."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he read the scroll before he snapped it closed. "Aa."

The ANBU nodded to Naruto, before he disappeared in a flash.

Naruto planted his hands on his hips. "What the hell is this about, teme? What does Tsunade baa-chan want with you?"

Facing his old teammate, he smirked. "It means," Sasuke tossed the scroll at him. "You got what you wanted, Dobe."

The blonde shinobi grinned. "Hell yeah teme!" He exclaimed as he quickly read over the scroll. "It looks like the old lady is finally warming up to you!"

Sasuke felt the doubt leach into his thoughts as he imagined what the village's reaction to this would be. Tomorrow would be the day. The day he was either proven trustworthy by the Hokage or…

Banished from Konoha as a threat to the village and the Fire Country.

…

…

…

…

…

**A/N: **

This chapter was hard to write! Believe me, poor Hyuuga Ayame had a hot mess on her hands the first draft I sent her. Bless her heart. It started heading in one nasty direction so badly that I had to walk away from this for a few days before I came back to it, haha.

Anyway, I hope that you all have enjoyed reading it! Sasuke's evaluation is coming up next. That's gonna be a blast, just wait. XD And there's gonna be more SasuSaku loveliness coming soon as well. Got big ideas for those two. ;) Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews and feedback! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. ^_~

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time with your families! And for my German readers, Schönes Erntedankfest! 3

xoxo

Konoha no Uchiha Sakura


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! Long time no see! I wanted to thank you all so much for your lovely reviews and feedback! I really appreciate it! Each one always makes me smile, no matter what.

If you've stuck with me this long, I'm grateful. So without further adieu, here's chapter five! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, a Happy New Year and a Happy Easter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Cuz if I did shit would be a whole lot DIFFERENT. Ya happy?

* * *

**Life Restored **

_I'm going to rip your fucking head off._

His mind was on one thing and one thing only as he glared intensely at the man standing over him. Flexing his hands a couple of times under the table in front of him, he fought the urge to power his chakra to them and plunge a ball of electricity through the shinobi.

"_One month." _

It took all of his control not to arch an eyebrow at Konoha's top interrogator, Morino Ibiki as he said this.

"For a whole month you have been residing in the village since your return." Ibiki continued, his gaze hard and penetrating as he met Uchiha Sasuke's gaze head on. "The village elders have convened several times trying to discuss and figure out your motivations for returning." He casually paced the small interrogation room, hands clasped behind his back as though this was no big fucking deal.

Ibiki turned a nasty smile to the Uchiha. "Word has it your old teammates have accepted your return willingly too. Wasn't this their big dream? To finally have succeeded in bringing you home after all those years?"

His jaw locked. Hadn't he been in and out of those meetings with the Council before all of this? From the corner of his peripheral he saw the Hokage's eyes narrow, and he relaxed his rigid posture. This sort of thing was to be expected, he knew. Violent reactions were what they wanted to see, so he refused to comply.

Not that it wouldn't be immensely satisfying.

Ibiki leaned in closer, his scarred hands landing on the table just a few inches away from the lone Uchiha.

"It's too bad your old sensei couldn't have been there to see you return." Ibiki's words were spoken in a harsh whisper. "You really were his greatest disappointment."

Sasuke's eyes flashed red before he got a grip on himself and checked his anger.

Ibiki smiled ruthlessly. "Don't like being reminded of your shortcomings, Uchiha?" He rose to his full height. "There are damn plenty of them." With one look at the Hokage, he glared right back at Sasuke again. "But we're not here to list the numerous failures that you've made, are we?" Ibiki's eyes narrowed. "We are here, because you seem to want to stay in Konoha again. Your motives have been explained, and your goals seem to have been achieved. You're such a fucking inspiration."

Tsunade cleared her throat.

Ibiki backed off. He was pleased to note that the Uchiha looked positively murderous, but did not attack. Nor did he say a word.

The Hokage stood, her hands planting themselves on her hips as she pegged Sasuke with a serious expression. "As discussed in my office after the latest council meeting, you must agree to submit yourself to evaluation. Are you prepared to proceed?"

Sasuke slowly rose from his chair, his thoughts focused on his goals as he met the Hokage's gaze. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade gestured to him to follow her.

Ibiki sneered, but Sasuke paid him no mind as he stepped around the table in the center of the room, his demeanor back to suave and calm. Nothing would keep him from accomplishing his goals. Not even a shinobi who apparently still had it out for his family. Sasuke resisted the urge to shoot the bastard a smirk. _All in due time_, he thought silently.

As he climbed the stairs to the top floor of the interrogation building, he had to hide his surprise when he discovered both Yamanaka Ino and what appeared to be the Hokage's assistant, what was her name, Shizune? Standing beside Ino, the elder kunoichi watched him with a wary frown of her own.

Tsunade turned to face him, her eyes narrowing as she gestured for him to step forward.

He complied, if but with some wariness.

Tsunade smirked. _Kid was smart to be wary._ She thought silently. "Close the doors." She called to the ANBU guard. "Kami knows I don't need that blundering loudmouth interrupting this."

Sasuke felt a smirk slide onto his face before he could stop it. Naruto indeed would be the very first to show up and barge in during his interrogation. Thank fuck it was still early and the blonde dobe still asleep.

The heavy wooden doors were slid shut, and as they did so the resounding noise left an ominous feeling in the air.

* * *

The birds were chirping.

That was the first thing that was prominently noticeable to her as she sat behind her desk, paperwork coming all the way up to her ears. There was something to be said about peace, she thought, as the light morning breeze filtered through her open office window. The cool air helped to clear her head, much better than the forgotten mug of tea on her desk had.

But she'd been sitting like that for over an hour now. Her mind not completely focused on much of anything, as the lingering remains of fatigue still evident in the dark circles under her eyes. Naruto was still sacked out cold on her couch in her small apartment, having told her he wasn't going anywhere until she'd rested up. His reasoning for that remained unknown, at least until she'd woken up this morning to a phone call from Ino. A faint smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. Naruto was so transparent; she didn't even know how she'd missed it before.

Her gaze found the clock on the wall, and she felt her eyes soften a little. It was still very early, but she had found herself back in her office today with little to distract herself from what she now knew was going on this morning.

Uchiha Sasuke was undergoing evaluation.

Of course that was perfectly _classified_ information, she knew. Sakura felt her stomach tighten at the memory of what had happened just yesterday in her apartment with her old team. Sasuke's face kept flashing to the forefront of her mind almost every time she closed her eyes. The feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her, his rough but warm hands on hers, the gentle way he cared for her, his piercing red gaze…Sakura shook her head hard and smacked her cheeks a little to distract her very _imaginative_ mind.

"Oh for Kami's sake, get a damn grip!" she berated herself.

Here she'd been so terrified of him the night he returned, and yet she now found herself secretly longing for him. _Again._

Sakura cursed. Maybe Ino was right. Maybe she really _was_ losing it.

Her mind reverted back at the thought of her best friend. Really the only reason she had even been privy to the knowledge of Sasuke's evaluation was _because_ of Ino. The Yamanaka Clan had been called in for this special assignment, and Ino had gushed to her having no one else to go to and expunge the massive torrid of emotions sweeping through her.

Though Sakura suspected that pregnancy had a tendency to do that to any female at this stage. But as far as the curvy blonde knew, Sakura wasn't privy to _that_ particular bit of information just yet either.

A small smile tugged the corners of her lips up and thanked her lucky stars she had asked Tsunade-sama to take her on as an apprentice. The vast amount of knowledge that she'd gained from training under the Hokage was great. And she now knew her skill level was unmatched by any other medical ninja in the village, save for the Hokage herself.

Hugging her friend's medical chart to her chest, Sakura suddenly pushed herself back from her desk, the feet of the old chair scraping against the floor rather loudly. It would be a shock for Ino to hear, she knew. But Sakura was thankful to have been the medic to be handling Ino's case…and to have run her friend's lab work. Popular as the gorgeous blonde was in the village, news would not be privately HIPPA protected for very long if any of other the hospital medics had been in charge.

Nope. Sakura tucked a wayward strand of pink behind her ear. It was her duty as her best friend to be the one to deliver the happy news…if her best friend's fiancé hadn't already figured it out yet.

Hiding a cool smirk, Sakura walked over to her filing cabinet, massive as it was, and neatly slid her friend's file in place. Just as she was pushing the drawers shut, Sakura's eyes caught on the massive section of files she'd been organizing. The files were shoved haphazardly together, each case log containing data that was individually different from one another, yet fashionably the same.

Her personal little side project.

Feeling her eyes narrowing, she tightened the messy ponytail at the crown of her head before pulling the first of the stack free from the unorganized jam she'd shoved it in a few days prior.

The first case was of an elderly man who had been brought into the hospital with signs of a heart attack, yet his vitals were stabilized as his mind had been placed into a very powerful genjutsu. Sakura felt a cold chill prickle at the back of her neck as she read over the preliminary medical report. Her mind quickly reverted back to the ANBU Nin who had been brought in to Emergency a few days ago. His mental state was the same.

Sakura was a blur as she pulled that file, and hastily scribbled a notation on the side of his prelim report.

The next file she pulled was from back during the war. Towards the end, after her shinobi cell had returned to Konoha, she'd been placed on a medical team to make rounds in the newly built hospital. There were at least a half dozen patients that had been badly wounded during the battle of Madara, who all had similar injuries, yet at the same time, were all in a seemingly comatose mental state. It had been Ino who had mind swapped with one of them to make the discovery that it wasn't a coma that they had slipped into, but a very power genjutsu.

The similarities were too close, too much alike to be purely coincidental.

Sakura felt her stomach do a little flip as she turned the page in her most recent file. In her sensei's handwriting, she caught the small notation beside the diagnosis.

_Comatose. _

Something wasn't adding up. Her photographic memory flashed as she remembered the look on Ino's face as she emerged from the mind swap of those patients. Even as she'd reported on the genjutsu being the cause of the comatose state of the patient, there was something underneath in her expression that wasn't going along with what she was telling the medics around her.

Her eyes narrowed. Kakashi-sensei had brow beaten that age old saying into hers and Naruto's heads from Day One.

"Look underneath the underneath," She whispered as her fingers slowly turned the page, her quick mind adding together all of the facts.

Sakura felt her heart freeze in her chest. In the work of a second she grabbed the stack of files from her cabinet and flashed out the door, running as fast as she could go…

* * *

His eyes closed and he felt a wave of unease as the jutsu was initiated.

Far off, he heard a cry of shock, but his mind was now occupied and unable to respond to the outside disturbance. The presence in his mind now was unfamiliar and intrusive, but not threatening. He forced himself to relax as the girl from the Yamanaka Clan completed the jutsu.

This was part of the plan. He had to do this to finally avenge his family…

Itachi.

His Clan.

The Uchiha honor.

"_You're not making this easy, are you?" _A sardonic female voice whispered in his mind. Sasuke felt his jaw clench. _Just get on with it…_

She chuckled. _"Very well." _

Slowly, painfully, as if his mind were an onion being peeled layer by layer, he felt his mind start to bend to the jutsu. The whole point of this was for Ino to use the jutsu she'd created using her family's interrogation skill to read the mind of enemy shinobi. He told himself that he was fine with the procedure being used on him. He'd even been drugged for the effects of the jutsu causing an erratic heart rate and potential heart attack. A slow, deep breath helped quell his anger a little more.

"_You've led a hard life, Uchiha." _Ino's voice murmured in his mind. _ "Mind letting me see what else you've done?" _

Forcing his mind to open was not something he was accustomed to doing. Memories flashed before his closed eyes as Ino dug through his head, sorting out from the first Chuunin Exam to when he left the village. The memory of his last goodbye to Sakura played much slower than the others had, and before he could snap at her that it was private, her voice stopped him.

"_She had nightmares about you for months," _Ino murmured as he watched Sakura's tears fall from her cheeks in the memory. _"And she still refuses to talk about this night…"_

He saw himself shut Sakura down as he walked away from her. Her young voice was pleading for him to stay. How he stood just inches from her, breathing in her cheery blossom scent just seconds before he knocked her out…his quiet thank you.

She was really pulling him through the mud now. The moment the memory ended, his mind burned as if it had been held too close to a flame. There was a long stretch of silence…before memories began to slowly bleed through the darkness once more. Ino did not linger on his time spent with Orochimaru, he saw. It seemed as if Konoha intelligence had been briefed on this information already, and he felt himself smirking. He supposed he had his _clone_ to thank for that, remembering back to when Sai had infiltrated the old snake Sannin's lair.

"_He never was meant to be a replacement." _Ino's voice cut through his thoughts, reminding him for the umpteenth time that she could hear him.

Sasuke felt the strongest urge to open his eyes to glare at her, before remembering that the girl must be unconscious at the moment. _"You think I want to be all up inside your head like this?!" _Ino's curt voice turned to ice within the work of a second.

"_I'm _supposed_ to be seeing something big, something _important. _But you're not making any of this easy on me, Uchiha. If you'd let down some of these walls a little it'd make both of our lives a hell of a lot easier…" _

His head lowered to his chest as he felt beads of sweat form on his forehead as he bit back his snarky response. Like _hell_ would any part of this be easy. But the obnoxious blonde had a point, and he slowly, cautiously opened his mind, to the facts that he learned from his brother back during the war…back…when he'd had a second chance to talk with Itachi like they were brothers again.

The story burned his mind as he played it for Ino, sparing no details on the culprits of the pain and agony of his family bloodline. There was no commentary, thank Kami as he let his memories tell the story for him. Before the end of it, he felt his heart in his throat and his eyes burn.

Itachi's face played across his mind, the memory taking the effect of the moon lighting up the sky at night. His brother's words of kindness and redemption echoed in his ears, and loathe he admit it, Yamanaka Ino's as well. The last words his brother had spoken to him slowly faded as the memory of Itachi disappearing played across his mind again.

Ino paused, almost as if she knew this wasn't a cakewalk for him, before slowly continuing on. But when she reached the moment after he'd been battling with Obito…when he'd gone searching for the cave by the river…there was a flash of pink and then…

Sasuke shut his mind down instantly.

"_WHAT THE HELL?" _Ino's voice cut through his mind sharply.

_You're done. _ He thought angrily. _You have what you need. Now get the hell out of my head._

* * *

Tsunade watched with the eyes of a hawk, as Shizune looked after the young Yamanaka kunoichi. The girl was lying peacefully on the ground ten feet away from where the Uchiha had been restrained to the floor where he knelt.

The exchanges between the two shinobi were almost completely incognito, save for the few glares she saw play across the Uchiha's face.

For three hours they had been that way.

Just then, Ino's body began to twitch, before the blonde opened up her mouth and began to scream. The Uchiha's eyes shot open as he looked up, searching for any signs of attack before settling on the blonde lying close by.

Shizune was by Ino's side instantly, her hands going to the girl's shoulders as the blonde shook. Ino's eyes snapped open and she gasped, feeling her heart pounding hard against her ribcage. Her scream died down almost immediately, but she pushed herself up, waving Shizune off.

Her sky blue eyes shot up to the Hokage, and the knowledge that burned in them stilled Tsunade's heart for a moment.

"Well Yamanaka?" Morino Ibiki's sharp voice cut through the tense silence. Tsunade felt her eyes narrow.

"He is not a threat." Ino's voice was strained, but genuine. Sasuke had to remind himself not to smirk.

Just then, the thick and heavy wooden doors folded inwards before splintering like they were made of nothing but paper. Tsunade's eyes shot up to see her apprentice breathing hard as she stood in the doorway, looking haggard in her white lab coat with several file folders in her arms. Sakura climbed over the broken wood as if it were nothing as she slowly made her approach to her shishou. Ibiki stepped in front of Tsunade, his arms crossed tightly over his thick chest and a deep glare etched into his threatening face.

Sakura brushed by him as if he weren't there at all.

Sasuke felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he watched her move. Her standing within the village permitted her to seemingly do as she pleased, he thought silently as he filed that tidbit of information away for later.

Tsunade watched her apprentice before addressing the pink haired kunoichi. "This evaluation is closed, Sakura. How did you come to learn of it?"

Sakura slammed the thick pile of folders down on the table in front of her sensei in response. Her arms were crossed over her chest in a mixture of anger and defiance as she pegged her sensei with a sharp glare.

"I doubt that matters as much as faking the same diagnosis on twelve different cases, _sensei._"

Her arms crossed over her chest as she met Tsunade's gaze head on, knowing that she was signing her death warrant on the disrespect front. But she had to be sure.

And she got her answer when Tsunade closed her eyes, exhaling on a heavy sigh before she began to chuckle.

Confused didn't even begin to cover Sakura's reaction. Her emerald eyes shot over to Shizune, questioning before the brunette silently shook her head.

"Sakura, you are certainly the brightest young kunoichi I have ever met." Tsunade slowly stood, her eyes traveling over her apprentice's head to look at the Uchiha. "You can release him now. He'll need to be taken to the hospital—"

"Excuse me, I mean no disrespect sensei, but what the hell is going on?" Sakura politely interjected, feeling her anger slowly rising.

Tsunade looked back at her, her gaze hard. "Perhaps it should be you to give this report, Sakura. You are the one who figured out the puzzle, after all. And I do believe that Homura and Koharu would appreciate being filled in as well." She smirked as Sakura blanched momentarily before getting a reign on her emotions.

"Tell us what you have found, Haruno Sakura." Koharu said, staring down with a faint glare. "If it was important enough to interrupt this meeting, that is."

Sakura cleared her throat, quietly tucking strands of pink behind her ears as she bolstered her confidence.

Sakura felt her heart speed up. She knew she was unprecedented by being here and probably would get slapped with a shitload of paperwork or a few low-ranked missions. But as she faced the elders, her eyes burned with the knowledge she had acquired from her research.

"I believe..." She swallowed hard, feeling her heart beating fast behind her ribs. "I believe that I have found evidence of Uchiha Sasuke's involvement in saving the lives of no less than twelve Konoha citizens, shinobi and civilian alike. Both before the end of the war, and after his recent return."

She could feel his eyes boring into her from behind, but she refused to turn around to look at him. But her cheeks blazed brightly.

There was a heavy silence. Before the room erupted in outrage.

A smirk took over her face as Tsunade slowly rose to her feet. Her hands called for silence from the two old members of the council, to the ANBU guards flanking the lone Uchiha survivor.

Sasuke's eyes locked on hers and he felt his stomach tighten as she addressed him.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Your crimes against Konoha and the hidden villages have been noted. But with the evidence presented and this evaluation complete, I hereby pardon all charges against you. Within a year's time based upon good behavior and compliance on your part, you shall then be reinstated as a shinobi of Konoha."

He could not help but drop to his knees.

* * *

**A/N:** HEEEEYYYY GUYS!

Thank you so much for reading! I've gone back and edited the first chapter a little. I wasn't happy with the way it flowed, so I tweaked it and added some stuff. Feel free to check it if you're interested! I know I'm a butt and took a good couple of months to update, but there has been a lot going on. Anyway, I won't gore you with the details, but I'm thankful that this semester is about over. But I am excited to tell you all that I was chosen to be an extra in the new Hunger Games Catching Fire movie! It's moments like these that I'm proud to live in this lovely state! I'm so flipping excited for this November!

In other exciting news too, my Red Sox are top in the American League right now! WE'RE AHEAD OF THOSE EFFING YANKS! WOOHOO!

Much love and kisses to you all! I'm working on the next installment so you dollfaces won't have to wait long, I promise. XD And there's just three weeks left in this grueling semester, so I mean it.

Love you bunches,

Konoha no Uchiha Sakura


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